lyncker



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

G. A. LYNCKER. ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

No. 555,217. Patented Feb. 25, 1896" (No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

G. A. LYNCKER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

ANDRZW BGRANAM. PHOTO-UMQWASHINFfOfl. D C

VNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV ADOLPl-l LYNCKER, OF MUNICH, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 555,21'7, dated.February 25, 1896.

Application filed April 27, 1895.

Serial No. 5 i'7,415. (No model.)

Patented in Germany J ly 25, 1893, No. 76,179, and in Austria-HungaryAugust 17, 1894, No. 1,238 and No- 43,886.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV ADOLPH LYNCKER, a resident of Munich,Bavaria, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectric Signaling Devices for Railroads, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention has been patented in Austria- Ilungary, No. 1,238 and No.$3,886, dated August 17, 1804, and in Germany, No. 76,179, dated July25, 1893.

The electric safety device for railroad-trains has for its object totransmit a signal over the whole stretch up to the office of the nextstation when a train leaves a station and that a signal be made at thesame time at the station it started from, showing that it is on theright track. This signaling of the train in motion is repeated at eachwatchmans post or box, so that each watchman, as well as the clerk inthe next station of arrival, is always aware in what place said trainis. If it happened that another train or an engine should run on thesame track, the same would also be signaled over the entire stretchbetween the two stations and the danger of a collision or any otheraccident to the train could easily be averted by the watchman as well,as shown later.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic view of theentire system. Fig. 2 is a detail view, partly in section, of thetrack-blocks and the connections operated thereby for controlling thecontacts along the line. Fig. 3 is a view of Fig. 2 a quarter-turntherefrom, with parts shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a detail view ofFig. 2 in plan with parts in section. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the partsin Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view of means adapted for maintaining theelectric circuit constant during the passage of a long train,with meanswhereby the watchman may break the circuit after the train has passed.

Levers a are adapted to the outer side of one of the rails of the trackat each watchmans post. Said lever, which is pivoted in a casing 17,fixed to the sleeper 0, reaches up to near the rail-head. The lower partof lever a, which oscillates upon a bolt, Fig. 2, is twoarmed, and oneof the arms a presses upon one of the extremities of the lever e,whereby the other extremity of the latter causes the upward motion of arectangular lever arra-n gement f in such a manner that an electricconducting-knob f touches a conducting-spring g, 2, placed over thesame, and forms the electric contact. From these two contactsconducting-wires p r, Fig. 1, lead to the electric battery and to thealarm-signals. This simple lever contact apparatus is placed under aprotecting-partition called the contact or circuit-closing box in orderto be protected from the efieots of the weather.

The automatic track lever or block a has its upper part shaped with acentral projection, the portions on either side being depressed in sucha manner that their shape corresponds to the periphery of a suitableroller fixed to the locomotive. The latter is placed in such a mannerthat when it passes the automatic lever a it will, while rolling easilyover the same, bend it down slightly around its axis, and thus theintermediate lever e placed underneath it will be depressed to theproper distance whereby the mentioned contact-lever apparatus f willwork as explained. A disengaging-sprin g is placed near thiscontact-lever will return the parts to normal position and thus breakthe circuit at once.

If,a locomotive touches the automatic lever in an oppositedirection-that is, when it runs backwardthe electrical circuit is notestablished. Thus no alarm is caused to ring, and the spring 6, which islocated under the lever a opposite 6, will bring said lever a to therequired position at once.

The general circuit connections may now be described. At theintermediate stations 'E signal-bells Z Z are placed, those marked Zbeing large and of a deeper tone than those marked Z, the former beingarranged in the circuit 19 p to signal trains running from A to B, whilethose marked Z are in the circuit q q and are for the trains runningfrom B to A. These bells are combined with clocks (not shown in thedrawings) so that the time of the departure or passage of a train may beobserved.

The electric line for the train running from A to 13 starts from theoffice of the station A at the key at and leads by a (positive) wire 1)through the clock and signal-bell n, which is located there, and throughall larger signaling-clocks l at the various watchboxes in the directionof the arrow. This it does over the entire course with a connection withthe signaling-clock n of the station E. From the latter there is aconnection with the electric battery 0. A further line 1) (negativewire) leads from there in the direction of the arrow through all thecontact apparatus f g located in the contact-boxes h to the key m of thestation of departure A, Fig. 1. The line from station E to station A isarranged in the same manner. Line q leads from the key m to thesignaling-clock j, from there in the direction of the arrow through allintermediate devices of the lower signaling or alarm clock Z connectin gwith the signaling-clock j, to the battery c, from where it leads back(line q) to the corresponding contact devices, to the key m.

In the contact-boxes, wherein the contact devices for both tracks arelocated, the electric contact devices f and g, Fig. 2, and theircorresponding conducting-wires p and 1), q and q are simply connectedwith the clockworks by the connecting-wires r and 4''.

As soon as the employ signals a departing train by means of the keyapparatus m all signals will be rung. The running train will be signaledwhen passing each watchmans post by the pressing down of the lever aover the whole course and every time again at the office of the stationof arrival. For instance, as the train is moving from A to B contactwill be closed at the various boxes h and the circuit completed throughline 7', line 19 ringing upper bells, Z, and returning to the wire 7'through return-wire 19. From this it will be seen that a train movingfrom left to right of Fig. 1 will when it reaches the second watchmansbox operate only the signals in advance, while the signals in rear andat the starting station are silent for the reason that they areshort-circuited. In the boxes one of the contacts, f, is arranged to beoperated by a train running in one direction on one track, Whereas thesecond contact is operated by a train running in the opposite directionon a parallel track. \Vhen moving from B to A the circuit is completedin succession at the several stations through the contacts in boxes hand the wires 1''. A second contact device similar to that described isarranged to be operated by the train and is located at the firstwatchmans post E, as at f, Fig. 1, from where the moving-off train canalso be signaled back to the station of departure A as being on theright track by means of the simple line 0 and 0' put into the circuit incombination with the battery D and above-mentioned signaling-clock n.The same arrangement is used for the train running from B to A by meansof a return-line S S from the first watchmans post E to thesignaling-clockj of the station B.

As trains can be of different length, according to the number of cars,the signal must sound until the last car has passed the crossing. Tothis effect a catch IV (dotted) is fixed to the rectangularcontact-lever, Figs. 3 and 6, which when the contact-lever a. is inoperation engages the spring WV. Thereby the contact of theconducting-knobs f and the conducting-spring g is made continuous andthe alarm keeps on sounding. A light wire w leads from the extremity ofthe spring IV to the disengaging device-which is near the place of theswitchman H of the crossing. As soon as the last car of the crossingtrain has passed the track, the switchman simply pulls the handle so ofthe disengaging device, the engaged spring W is released and thealreadydescribed disengaging-spring K,Fig. 2-,breaks the electricalcircuit at once.

I claim- In combination, the electric circuit 1), p with signals at theterminal stations, the intermediate stations having signals in series onone side of the line, the contacts at the stations, the connectionsacross the line at the stations including said contacts whereby signalswill be sent ahead of the train at each station and the signal in rearwill be cut out, the contact at the sending station and a supplementalcircuit 0 0 including a signal at the sending station and a contact atthe first intermediate station, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV ADOLPH LYNCKER.

\Vitnesses:

ALBERT WEICKMANN, CARL MAYER.

